Professor of Rhetoric and Writing | Learning Program Manager | Faculty Developer | Curriculum Designer | Disney Adult
Last year, I participated in a 4-part workshop series for faculty exploring careers outside of academia. It was extremely eye-opening. Putting ourselves in the role of an alt-ac or non-ac job-seeker revealed some of our basic misunderstandings about ... well... almost everything. One of my biggest takeaways? How hard it is for academics who have only ever held academic jobs to understand, let alone advise, students who are not interested in academic careers. In my own professional development programs for faculty, I have found that creating a learning experience that is valuable for the individual - for their own work and career development - often translates into improved pedagogy and student learning in their classrooms. My hot take for college administrators? Improve faculty-student career advising by providing more training for faculty career exploration/advancement in, but especially outside of, academia.
#StudentSuccess | Survey: Students Turn to Faculty for Career Advice New research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) shows how students and recent alumni look to their professors for help in their post-graduation plans. While some faculty aren’t confident in giving career advice, administrators can take five actions to support that work. #HigherEd https://bit.ly/4bCLjLk
Agree! This is why it’s critical for us in career success to partner with faculty who often advise students about post-graduation plans. Integrating career development within the classroom is so important.
Sara Ciskie
7mo
100% agree. While I don't regret going to grad school, I wish that the institution had done a better job of preparing me for the non-academic job market. I eventually got my bearings, but the learning curve was *steep.*
Jeanne V.
7mo
Absolutely! Faculty will always be the FIRST and PRIMARY advisor of a student. The data proves it time and time again. Investing in Faculty training is absolutely necessary. The mythical idea that the PhD means that you are imbued with omnipotence in all matters of student growth means we believe faculty no longer need support or development as the world around them changes? Faculty should insist in their tenure and promotion evaluations too that work in this area is just as valuable as publishing and pedagogy.
Agreed! I’ve learned so much in the past year about how I should’ve been preparing students for a job search. If I were still teaching, I think I would create an assignment for the upper division students to create a LinkedIn profile and try to find someone (a feminist working outside the academy, in my case), do an informational interview with them, and then have a class debrief session to compare notes and think through what they learned about how they might apply their coursework post-graduation.
Miriam Wallace
7mo
absolutely agree. And it's also helpful to have some faculty who have worked (even at very entry level) outside of academia--it does bring a useful perspective. We need to out ourselves more than we often do.
LOU murray
7mo
Many college have developed innovation center..innovation could be for just about anything. It allows you to use what you learn in class with the real world and work with the corporations that will be hiring. Professor, Students and classes can participate. ARIZONA STATE INNOVATION CENTER IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.
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7moI'm glad this is being talked about, as despite my best efforts (engaging with career services), I felt woefully underprepared for job searching in my early post graduate years.